Argus Bulletin - September 2010

Aviacom, manufacturer of the Argus AAD, originally issued a service bulletin, which required compliance before the next repack, or no later than the end of 2010. Now, based on extensive testing, they have issued a revised service bulletin, allowing the use of the older cutters in many rigs.

As one of the US Argus service centers, we now again have a small stock of replacement cutters.

Argus AAD Maintenance

With the publication of the latest Argus manual and according to their latest bulletin, Argus batteries require replacement after each scheduled repack, or after each activation, or every 500 jumps, whatever comes first. but they are widely available at stores such as Walmart, for $10 or often less. We sell them for $10, and we keep the best brands in stock at our online store .

We are proud to announce that we are one of the few US lofts that have been authorized to conduct 4 year checks on Argus AADs.

The process includes:

Thorough inspection for physical defects.
Transmission of historical data to the factory to determine if there are any issues with previous performance.
Thorough testing in an altitude chamber to determine if the AAD is operating perfectly in a total of 9 different scenarios. This includes both a fire and no-fire test for each of the 4 modes: Standard, Student, Tandem, and Swoop. In addition, the Swoop mode requires a test that simulates an opening, followed by a rapid descent to landing, which insures the unit will not fire while swooping.

The testing can be done in a few hours, but the confirmation from the factory can take up to 5 days, so we quote a 5 day turnaround. This is much better than the normal turnaround with a Cypres AAD, and the pricing is $140, less than the Airtec fees. Argus service also includes a battery replacement and testing is done to confirm that the new battery operates within specifications.

The next required service for the Argus AAD needs to be completed by the end of the 4^th year after the manufacture date or the last service date, whichever is later. This is a little more flexible than the Cypres service plan, and can be less costly to keep a unit in service, especially when it has been unused for a while. For instance, if an Argus 4 year check is not conducted until the 6^th year, for whatever reason, the next check is not required until the 10^th year from the manufacture date. No matter how old an Argus AAD is, it is considered airworthy until the end of the 4^th year from it's last successful functional check. It has no pre-imposed lifespan, which is nice.